The socialist parties are emerging as a political force in American politics, addressing those issues that are important to millions of Americans and working people; ending the Iraq War, solving the nation’s health care needs, free education for college students, providing benefits for all veterans, protecting homeowners, creating affordable housing and providing for the needs of all working class people.
Stewart A. Alexander
Socialist Party USA Nominee for Vice President
and candidate for nomination by Peace and Freedom Party
January 3, 2008
At the end of 2006, millions of U.S. voters went to the polls giving the control of Congress to the Democrats. It was a marginal victory for the Democrats and a margin of hope for millions of Americans that the Democrats would chart a different direction for Washington politics.
Since the 2006 Mid-Term Elections, most Americans have become disillusioned with the Democrats and have lost confidence in America’s two corporate parties. Since the Democrats became the majority in Congress, working people and the poor have suffered continued setbacks.
A majority of Americans no longer view the Democratic Party as a political body to represent working people or the poor; and having the controlling votes in Congress, the Democrats have continued to follow the leadership of the Republicans and President Bush. Millions of Independent voters are now looking at third parties and third party candidates in the hopes of gaining representation in Congress and the White House; these voters are searching for leaders that will represent the will of American voters nationally and internationally.
The socialist parties are emerging as a political force in American politics, addressing those issues that are important to millions of Americans and working people; ending the Iraq War, solving the nation’s health care needs, free education for college students, providing benefits for all veterans, protecting homeowners, creating affordable housing and providing for the needs of all working class people. Only within the past decade, millions of Americans firmly believed that these issues were important to the Democrats; now in 2008 most Americans believe the Democrats are for big corporations, increasing the wealth of billionaires and expanding American imperialism.
The Iraq War is still the number one issue with most Americans and Independent voters. Since the Democrats gained control of Congress, the Democrats have continued to support the war, most recently giving Bush another $70 billion which will finance the war through mid 2008. Peace and Freedom Party and Socialist Party USA have rejected any funding for the Iraq War. Both socialist parties, Peace and Freedom Party and Socialist Party USA, have charged that the occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan is illegal and the billions of dollars being spent to finance the war is causing more deaths, human suffering, and is creating greater hardships on working people and the poor.
Within the past 5 years, the two corporate parties, the Democrats and Republicans, have financed the war and occupation at a cost of more than $500 billion to the American people. The war is increasing the national debt and will eventually cost more than $2 trillion dollars according to recent scientific data. The war is creating a financial burden on the entire nation and is requiring the sacrifice of many services that are badly needed by the poor and working people.
The two corporate parties have neglected to provide for the millions of veterans across America and today there are an increasing number of veterans that are without jobs, homeless and living on the streets. The two socialist parties support a guaranteed basic income for all veterans and taking care of their entire health care needs. The two socialist parties have remained strong supporters for free health care for all; to include mental care, eye care and dental care.
The two corporate parties have shown little interest in easing the financial burden on students while college tuitions have more than tripled in some regions of the nation within the past 10 years. The two socialist parties object to the escalating cost of education for college students and both parties support free education through university level.
Today, there is an urgent need for the U.S. government and the state governments to subsidize the cost of childcare for working families. Many single parents and working families are paying more for childcare than rents, car payments, or the cost for sending their children to college. Some single parents are paying up to half of their disposal income to pay for childcare. The two corporate parties have done little to address this growing problem that affects growing families and our children. To solve the nation’s childcare crisis will require at least $30 billion per year. Peace and Freedom Party and Socialist Party USA believe it is important to provide this financial assistance to single parents and working families.
Within the next decade, the majority of Americans will be living in poverty and millions of seniors will be forced to receive care and housing from family members and caregivers. Today, over 90 percent of all Americans will not be able to retire on their social security income or pensions; however, the two corporate parties are increasing the wealth of the billionaires worldwide and both parties have remained the guardians of the wealthy capitalists.
Peace and Freedom Party and Socialist Party USA have outlined an agenda to benefit working people; doubling the minimum wage to a minimum $15 per hour and to index it to the cost of living. The two socialist parties want workers to be guaranteed the right to organize and to strike; and both parties want socially useful jobs for all at union pay levels.
Most working people have become slaves to their jobs and slaves to the economy, while the Democrats and Republicans continue to protect the economic interest of the capitalists and billionaires. Peace and Freedom Party and Socialist Party USA wants a 30 hour work week with no cuts in weekly pay and longer paid vacations.
The two socialist parties also want a guaranteed dignified income for those who can not work and a universal basic income to alleviate poverty and homelessness. To accomplish this would require taxing the income and assets of the rich, which has been strongly resisted by the Democrats and Republicans for more than 150 years.
The Democrats and Republicans have lost the confidence of most Americans because the two corporate parties have chosen to only represent less than 1 percent of all Americans while more than 298 million Americans are no longer represented.
It is likely 2008 will reveal the eroding confidence that millions of voters now have for the two corporate parties in U.S. politics. Millions of socialist understand that elections are not always about winning the popular votes; it’s about the results; and of all the polls, the voting polls will be the only true polls that will count.
On all the important issues that matters to working people, from Maine to Alaska to Hawaii to California to Florida, 2008 will reveal the two sides of the political spectrum. At one end of the spectrum, the Democrats and Republicans are the representatives of the big corporations and billionaires; and at the other end are the socialist parties, representing working people and true democracy.
For more information search the Web for: Stewart A. Alexander; Independent Voters Rejecting Democrats and Republicans.
www.americanchronicle.com/articles/viewArticle.asp
miami.indymedia.org/news/2006/11/6839.php
StewartAlexanderCares.com
www.vote-socialist.org/
peaceandfreedom-sjv.org/home/
www.sp-usa.org/
www.dcpoliticalreport.com/pres08.htm
www.politics1.com/p2008.htm